Mark Cavendish left out of Britain’s Road World Championships squad

Mark Cavendish’s season was set back when he injured his shoulder after crashing on the opening stage of the Tour de France in Harrogate. Photograph: Christian Hartmann/Reuters

Mark Cavendish has not been selected in the Great Britain squad for this month’s Road World Championships in Spain.

Cavendish, the 2011 world champion, required shoulder surgery after crashing out of the opening stage of the Tour de France in Harrogate and would not be suited to the hilly Ponferrada road race course which hosts the world championships on 28 September.

He will, however, be taking part in the Tour of Britain which starts on Sunday though he admits he is not yet fully fit after his accident.

“You never say never and I will be flat out but realistically you have to say that I am not in my best condition after the last few months I’ve had,” Cavendish said.

“I’m racing this week because this is my national Tour, Britain’s big race, and I always want to support it when I can.

“I’m just going to enjoy myself and see what the week brings. I’m fresh enough but I just haven’t got the really high-quality racing miles in my legs this season.”

The eight-man British team for the world championships, which features 28 climbs in 254.8km (158 miles), has options, with the 2013 Tour de France champion Chris Froome, Commonwealth Games gold medallist Geraint Thomas, Ben Swift and the Yates brothers potential leaders, depending on how the race develops.

Armitstead will be without the support of Emma Pooley, who retired following her silver medal in Glasgow, but the mountain bike riders Annie Last and Alice Barnes, sister of Hannah Barnes, could make the final cut on the road after being named in the long list.

The Commonwealth Games time-trial champion Alex Dowsett and Sir Bradley Wiggins, silver medallist in 2013 behind Germany’s Tony Martin, are in contention for the two places in the men’s time trial, which takes place on 24 September, but there will be no British representative in the women’s race against the clock.

The world championships begin on 21 September and Britain will refine their selection prior to the event.

The British Cycling technical director Shane Sutton said: “We’re fortunate to have a strong pool of riders from which to make our final selection.”